Dragline rock scraper



Sept. 13, 138. A, OLSON 2,129,955

DRAGLINE ROCK SCRAPER Filed Dec. 30, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l LQ \L i l l I QM I 3 X":

| I l 1 I I 13 I I l 1 I I 1 INVENTOR. fi/w/en/ 0. Ono/Y ATTORNEYS.

Sept. 13, 1938. A. o. OLSON DRAGLINE' ROCK SCRAPER Filed Dec. 30, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 N V EN TOR. #51025 w O. OLSON a, A TTORNEYS.

Patented Sept. 13, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE i 2,129,955 I g 1 DRAGLIINE ROCK SCRAPER Andrew Olson, Snohomish, Wash. Application December 30,1935, Serial No. 56,758

2 Claims.

interfere with the sluicing operation in the cut This invention relates to improvements in rock handling scrapers, and it has reference more particularly to what may be termed drag. line rock scrapers, and which are of a character designed particularly for use in placer mining operations, although not to be limited to such'use.

It is the principal object of this invention to provide a drag line rock scraper particularly suited to placer mining operations in that it may and which provides also .that all pay dirt'that is dragged into the cut by the scraper may easily and'readily be Washed out asthe scraper is held suspended over the out or over the sluicing box, and. the larger rock will be retained and may be discharged onto a dump at some point remote from the cut. 1

Other objects of the invention reside in the be used after the fashion of the ordinary drag details of construction and in the combination 10 line bucket, and whereby the earth adjacent a of parts, and in the novel method involved in cut that is being made in a sluicing operation the use of the device, as will hereinafter be demay be dragged into the cut to permit the pay scribed, and pointed out in the claims termidirt to be Washed out and whereby the heavy nating the specification. l 7

rock that is dragged in with the pay dirt and In accomplishing these and other objects of which is detrimental to the sluicing operation, the invention, I have provided the improved demay be removed. tails of construction, the preferred forms of Explanatory to the present invention, it will which are illustrated in the accompanying drawhere be stated that in placer mining operations ings, whereinand in sluicing a cut, it is now the common prac- Fig. 1 is a side view of a rock scraper embodied 2O tice to convey the earth from opposite sides by the present invention. thereof into the cut from which it is washed Fig. 2 is a side View showing the bucket in its into the sluice box. This conveying of earth suspended position and' illustrating the operahas been accomplished in various Ways, both tion of washing the dirt from the scraper while manually and mechanically. The dimculty herethe heavy rocks are retained. 25 tofore encountered in the use of ordinary types Fig. 3 is a top, or plan view of the device, as of drag buckets resides in the fact that these seen in Fig. 1. buckets do not provide for segregating the heavy Fig. 4 is a lower end View of the scraper. rock from the pay dirt. For instance, when Referring more in detail to the drawings it is desired to remove rock from the cut with The present rock scraper comprises a plural- 30 the bucket, the bucket also takes with it a cerity of heavy, substantial hooks l arranged in tain amount of the pay dirt. Also, when earth spaced, parallel planes across the width of the is dragged into the out, there is no Way of segscraper. All the hooks are transversely alined regating the rock from the pay dirt and, as and the shank portions la thereof, which are a consequence, the sluicing operations are substantially straight, are rigidly joined by a 35 greatly hindered for the reason that heavy rock back plate 2 that is secured to the shank in any in the cut retards the washing of the pay dirt suitable manner, such as by welding, and which into the sluice box. plate serves to close the back side of the scraper In view of the above, it has been an object of bucket thus formed. The lower end portions lb the present invention to provide a novel form of the hooks form the bottom of the bucket and 40 of drag line rock scraper that is formed by a each hook is equippedwith a digging tooth 3 plurality of spaced, parallel drag hooks having secured in the hook end by suitable means. The their shank portions rigidly joined together by hooks that are at the extreme opposite sides of a back plate, thus providing a form of drag line the bucket have web plates 5 across the curved bucket wherein the back portion is closed by the base portions, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, thus to 45 plate while the base portion comprises only the partially close the sides of the bucket. spaced hooks between which the loose dirt and Interposed between the end portions of the varsmall rocks may readily pass, while the larger ious hooks are spacers 6 of tubular character, and rocks may be retained therein for removal from a continuous rod 1 is extended through the hooks to the cut. and through the spacers, thereby to rigidly unite It is a still further object of the invention all of the hooks. The ends of the hooks, as will to provide a drag line rock scraper that may be be noted in Fig. 1, extend forwardly, substantially manipulated in the same manner as the present parallel with the shank portions l thus to inday line bucket, and which may be drawn along sure retaining a substantial load when the bucket the sluicing cut to pick up the large rocks which is lifted. 55

disposed transversely across the shank ends of v the hooks and this is rigidly secured to the frame structure at a medial point by the brace ,members I2and at the ends by the brackets I3, as

shown best in Figs. 1 and 4. i Drag chains I4 and I4 are secured to the forward or upper end of the bucket at opposite sides and are extended forwardlyto a clevis I5. Also, there are supporting chains l6 and [6 attached to the opposite sides of the bucket by pivotal con- 7 nection I! with brackets I8, which, in turn, are secured to the beams 8 and 8. The upper ends of the chains I6l6 connect with a pulley block 20 to which a hoist line 2| is pivotally attached. Also, a line 22 is secured to the clevis, and passes over the pulley block 20 and downwardly, and is pivotally attached, as at 25, to the transverse beam H at a medial point. A drag line 26'is attached to the clevis, and this line and the line 2| are extended to the power devices which operate the scraper.

Assuming that the scraper is so constructed, it is apparent that in the position of Fig. 1, it may be dragged along the ground; for instance, along the sluice chanel, and when so drawn, the teeth will dig into the ground, and the bucket will be filled with the rock and dirt. In the usual operations, the bucket is lifted and held suspended over the channel that is being sluicedor over the sluice box, and water from a hydraulic nozzle 30 is discharged into the bucket as illustrated in Fig. 2. This washes all of the pay dirt from the scraper, but the scraper retains the heavy rocks, which are then conveyed out of the way and dumped from the scraper.

The mode of operating the bucket through the mediacy of cables 2| and 26 is well understood by those familiar with the handling of drag line buckets, and since this is not a part of the present invention per se, it will not be further described.

Scrapers of this character have proven to be an economical means of removing rock, particularly in mining operations. However, it is to be understood that it is not the intention that the scraper be confined in its use to mining operations. Such scrapers may be made in various sizes, and in various widths, and the hooks thereof'may be located at such spacing as will best suit the particular purpose to which the bucket is to be put.

The particular advantage to be gained by this type of scraper is that the pay dirt" may be easily and readily washed therefrom while all heavy rock is retained and may be removed thereby from the sluicing cut.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. A rock scraper of the character described, comprising a frame structure equipped for attachment to operating lines, a plurality of drag hooks fixedin the frame, transversely aligned and in spaced relation, and a cover plate, secured across the shank portions of the hooks and closing only the back portion of the bucket formed thereby and an operating line whereby the bucket maybe held in suspended position.

2. A device as recited in claim 1, wherein the hook portions proper of the hooks are curved to dispose their end portions substantialy parallel with the shank portions of the hooks, and wherein the hooks at the outside have webs applied to the hooked bases to partially close the sides of the bucket formed by the hooks.

ANDREW O. OLSON. 

